Why It's Mad Men

It has to be Mad Men.  It couldn't be Wall Men, or Court Men, or anything else.  It just doesn't work.

What am I talking about?  I'm talking about the focus of AMC's show Mad Men, obviously.  It had to be about the men on Madison Avenue.  A show about the change in culture in America is best seen through those who are on top, but have to respond to those changes for their survival.  A stock broker doesn't need to realize that women are not just secretaries.  A lawyer doesn't need to realize that rock and roll is here to stay and forever dictate the music industry.

Since the advent of advertising firms they have had their fingers on the pulse of the nation.  They have to identify growing trends because they need to know what makes potential buyers click.  But they have to find a balance.  Their clients almost certainly are not always the most forward thinking.  The challenge for Don Draper, Peggy Olson, and the team is to almost trick the stodgy old farts who run Kodak, or Lucky Strike or whatever, into being hip, being fresh, and tapping into the power of an incredibly fast changing American society, without actually looking like they have changed a thing.

It are the subtleties, these nuances that really make the show click.  Especially since we can see how being on the leading edge (for corporate America at least) affects the lives of the characters.  We see Peggy embracing not only a career oriented lifestyle, but a mostly religious-free lifestyle.  We see Pete Campbell struggle with the shame of having to adopt.  We see Roger Sterling run off with his secretary.  A lot of what seem common place to us watching in 2010 is completely alien to the characters.  This is what is so striking to me.  It was only 40 years ago but what they take for granted and what we take for granted are so incredibly different it's amazing.  I'm going to try to be pretty good at reviewing each show for the upcoming season because this is my favorite show on TV.  Stay tuned.